Article April 3, 1915 Issue

At every session of the legislature during the past ten years,...

Elko (Nev.) Independent

At every session of the legislature during the past ten years, bills have been introduced which are aimed to serve a fatal blow at Christian Science. Not only is this so in Nevada, but in nearly every state of the Union. The source of these bills has been traced to the American Medical Association. During the first week of the present session of the legislature such a bill was introduced in the Assembly, bill No. 8, almost identical with one introduced last session, which was killed after a hard struggle. The very foundation upon which our system of government rests—the Constitution of the United States—guarantees to our people religious liberty, the right to worship God according to our own lights, and any legislation which might curtail or abridge that right is a fatal blow at free government.

In this day of enlightenment it is strange that some men cannot be made to understand that no legislative measure, however cunningly devised, can force a set of people to accept a certain religious creed or doctrine or to depart from the faith of their acceptance. The hundreds of religious wars of the past, with their untold horrors, which inspired our forefathers to provide for religious liberty, seem to hold no lesson for those who would persecute Christian Scientists by attempting to restrict them in their faith; and they fail to realize that it would be as reasonable to attempt to control the tides as to direct the religious faith and practice of mankind by legislative enactment.

Strange, too, as it may seem, no attempt is made to restrict Buddhism, Mohammedanism, or the worship of idols, but all this attempted legislation is directed at a form of religious worship participated in by hundreds of thousands of our best manhood and purest womanhood. Why do alleged Christians of one faith persecute those of another and perhaps larger faith? They both teach the divine virtues that make for happier lives and a better citizenship, and both have their origin in the same holy writings.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
We hold no brief for the Christian Scientist,—he does not . . .
April 3, 1915
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit